31 Days of 31 Ways to Bond with Your Child

Life is busy. We can all agree that twenty-four hours in a day is never enough. It’s not enough if you have one child, two or seven.

My husband and I recently sat down with our calendar and instead of a date planning, we spent time date clearing. We found ourselves in a situation where there was something to do every week night and every weekend. The kids were in swimming, gymnastics and therapy. We had personal training, church and small groups. Although some of it was nonnegotiable, we made the conscious decision to cut what was.

Not only were we feeling the stress of constantly running, we realized our children were not really receiving any quality time with us. Our homework time was rushed, our reading time a blur and our bedtime a flurry of exhaustion. We’ve seen an increase in undesirable behaviors and a cry for attention. Amidst the chaos, our children were feeling left out, even though much of it was for them.

Children crave one on one time with us and even when we think we’re doing them favors by enrolling in all of these extra activities, that’s not always the case. Now, I’m not saying if your child is in extra curricular activities you’re doing it wrong! I’m simply saying that sometimes we can get overwhelmed with the extras and forget the fundamental basic of spending quality time with our children, bonding with our children.

As a foster / adoptive parent bonding with a new placement is imperative in creating a home where they feel safe and loved. This looks differently depending on the age of your child, but always comes back to the foundation of time.

Quality time.

Undistracted time.

One on one time.

All children simply want our time.

So as we head into October and the busiest season of the year, I want to spend time consciously giving my children exactly what they’re craving. I want to focus on spending time with my children, bonding with them, and embracing the stages and situations we currently find ourselves in.

As part of a 31 day challenge taking place through the entire month of October, I will be writing each day on a way to bond with your children. Therefore, I will be writing 31 Days of 31 Ways to Bond with Your Child. It is my hope that in doing this I will not only find myself truly having that one on one, quality time with my own children, but also encouraging other parents to embrace this moment and spend it in a way that will leave a lasting positive effect.

As the month progresses, I will update links to this post allowing it to act as a landing page to move from. Please visit often and find new ideas on how to embrace this moment, this stage, and bond with your child!